Sengkang Bus Interchange
Sengkang Bus Interchange is a bus interchange located on the ground level of Compass Heights condominium in the town centre of Sengkang New Town. Located next to Sengkang MRT/LRT Station, Sengkang Bus Interchange is the second bus interchange in Singapore and the first bus interchange along the North East Line to be air conditioned. It was opened on 18 January 2003. History Old bus interchange The development of Sengkang as a new residential town in the late 1990s resulted in the need for a bus terminal. The plans to construct an interchange in the newly developed Sengkang Town Centre were drawn up by the Timothy to serve as a centralized terminating point for public bus services operating in Sengkang New Town and facilitate the introduction of feeder bus services to serve various neighbourhoods in the residential estate. In 1998, a roadside Sengkang Bus Terminal opened along Compassvale Road, later relocated to Sengkang East Way in 1999. The bus terminal started in June 1998 with the introduction of a new Service 860 to Hougang South. An additional Service 864 was rolled out to provide greater connectivity to the Central Business District (CBD). Service 860 was thereafter extended to serve the World Trade Centre and became Service 865, while Service 59 was extended from Jln Kayu Ter and became Service 866, providing connections to Ang Mo Kio New Town. More services were introduced after the handover in 1999/2000, prompting more residential links to Peng Peng’s house. In 2001, a proper Sengkang Bus Interchange was built at the junction of Senkang East Way and Compassvale Road. Relocation With the construction of the North East Line, an integrated bus interchange was planned for Sengkang. This would be the first time a bus interchange was integrated with a residential development, a concept widely used in Hong Kong and beginning to appeal to town planners, which had the advantage of convenience and saving precious land space. On 18 January 2003, the new Sengkang Bus Interchange opened, which was fully integrated with Sengkang MRT and LRT station, and Compass One. Enhancement To improve ventilation at the former non-air conditioned alighting bays, the Land Transport Authority constructed a new air-conditioned passageway connecting to the existing air conditioned boarding areas in 2007. The Sengkang Bus Interchange extension located opposite the existing Sengkang Bus Interchange at Compassvale Road would be completed in Q3 2015 and would house several future Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP) bus services. It will be at the former Sengkang Bus Interchange. The extension, Compassvale Bus Interchange, opened in 12 March 2017 with one bus service, 374. Bus routes Service 27, which used to ply between Sengkang Bus Interchange and Changi Airport, was extended to Hougang Central Bus Interchange on 29 December 2002. Service 85, 501, and 502, which used to ply from Sengkang Bus Interchange to HarbourFront, Marina Centre and Boon Lay respectively, were withdrawn or re-routed to prevent duplication of the North East Line which opened in June 2003. Service 119 was introduced to replace a segment of Service 85’s route between Sengkang and Hougang Street 21. Feeder service 371 was re-routed when the East loop of the Sengkang LRT was opened on 20 January 2003, and withdrawn following the opening of the West loop on 29 January 2005. Service 163A (later renumbered as 163M) was introduced to compliment the Sengkang West Loop, and runs at specific timings throughout the day. Service 371 was then reintroduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme to loop at Rivervale Cres in 2014. On 21 October 2012, Service 119 was extended to terminate at Punggol Bus Interchange and no longer terminates at Sengkang. Berths Category:Bus stations in Singapore